93 points
"In the realm of the residually sweet, we rapidly ascend in youthful expressiveness and generosity. The 2004 Mussbacher Eselshaut Riesling Kabinett displays a beautifully pure aroma of melon and purple plum. In the mouth, that amazing balance of brightness and subtle creaminess of 2004 is brought off to an uncanny degree. You couldn’t ask for more succulence of orchard and citrus fruits in the mouth at this level of ripeness, nor for more clarity, and accents of almond, brown spices, and wood smoke add more than enough complexity. Enjoy this compelling, infectious Riesling anytime – and, if possible, often! – over the next dozen years
Since the arrival of young Mosel-born Martin Franzen at this great estate so long associated with the wisdom and artistry of Hans-Gunter Schwarz’s 36-year tenure as cellar master, I have been struck by a degree of qualitative continuity and stylistic affinity with the ancient regime that other commentators seem not to have noticed. In a very real sense, the legacy of Schwarz – “activism in the vines, minimalism in the cellar” – has seeped indelibly into the fabric of nearly every top winery in the Pfalz. How then could it be otherwise precisely at Mandelring #25? And although Franzen and a largely new team were forced, to a considerable extent, to rediscover the keys to these vines and sites, they are the same vines and sites so carefully tended, trained and conscientiously replanted over the past decades by the then team of Catoir and Schwarz. In 2004, Franzen has unlocked from them astonishingly numerous and improbably fine vinous treasures such as one has come to associate with the name “Muller-Catoir” in the nearly four decades since a very young Heinrich Catoir inherited this estate and decided to make a statement."
Best 2005-2017